Numerous networking mediums may be used to connect two or more devices to each other. Each networking medium-type has specific operating characteristics to the particular medium type and medium-specific facets of configuration, behavior, performance, and monitoring.
Different software applications, i.e., sequences of executable instructions, exist for providing the capability to retrieve from network interconnect devices (NID) dat that describes the NID configuration, including port-specific details, via various protocols, i.e., simple network management protocol (SNMP). Such software applications may be referred to as data retrieval tools. Retrieval of NID configuration information is typically performed on an infrequent basis, e.g., to discover and/or update a network topology database. Due to the infrequent nature of NID configuration information retrieval, the efficiency with which software applications retrieve the configuration information is not a high priority.
The configuration information retrieved from a NID during data retrieval operations by a data retrieval tool is specified by a standard, e.g., a ratified standard or a de facto standard, to provide compatibility between NIDs from different manufacturers. Each individual NID typically includes more than one, and oftentimes many, ports. Because of the plurality of NID ports, data retrieval tool efficiency at using data retrieved from NIDs is important in order to monitor the state and performance of such NIDs. The relatively large volume of data retrieved, e.g., retrieval of the same set of counter data from each device port, and the relative frequency at which the data and information based thereon is requested increases the importance of data retrieval tool efficiency.
Data retrieval tools attempt to minimize memory and computer resources, e.g., processor cycles, consumed on the host processing system in order to minimize impacts on the host system, e.g., rendering the host system unusable or unusable for any purpose other than executing the data retrieval tool. Further, data retrieval tools are designed to attempt to minimize additional overhead introduced on the network and on individual NIDs which are in communication with the data retrieval tool.